"We’re patrolling in broad daylight and can barely see a soul. What’s the point of this, anyway..."

"The Hundred Households said a lot of the rebels who fled to the mountains haven’t been caught yet. He told us to watch out for any of them trying to escape this way!"

"They’re not stupid. Why would they run over here now, of all times..."

Chu Mu led a squad of Inspectors, strolling unhurriedly down the street. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Xu Yuan and the other Inspectors chattered back and forth, but Chu Mu, walking ahead of them, seemed a world away, completely lost in thought.

His attention clearly wasn’t on the Inspectors’ conversation, and certainly not on this supposed patrol to prevent rebels from causing trouble.

Ever since that first dose of medicinal soup went down, his attention had been completely fixed on his own body.

During his twelve experiments last night, he had only let the potion enter his stomach to experience its medicinal properties before he circulated his Qi Blood and manipulated his internal organs to vomit it back out.

But this was his first full experiment, and he couldn’t afford to ignore the slightest change.

In fact, Chu Mu hadn’t even intentionally circulated his Qi Blood to control the potion’s effects. Instead, he simply let them spread through his body naturally. For several hours, from early morning until now, Chu Mu had done nothing but observe with single-minded focus.

Several hours passed. The potion’s effects had nearly finished spreading, and Chu Mu had accumulated a mind full of new ideas and questions.

’A breakthrough?’

Lost in thought, he glanced at the Skill Level for Essence Qi Powder on his Light Curtain Panel. Without him even realizing it, it had broken through the Beginner’s Practice stage and reached Initial Glimpse. The Skill Level had jumped by a huge margin!

[Name: Chu Mu.]

[Skill: Basic Blade Technique (Entering the Hall and the Room) 9/2000]

[Body Refining Technique (45/1000)]

[Alchemy: Essence Qi Powder (Twelfth Revision): Initial Glimpse (38/500)]

[Spiritual Radiance Value: 211.3%]

’The rewards... were huge.’

Staring at the huge leap in his Essence Qi Powder Skill Level, Chu Mu raised an eyebrow. He thought back to his observations over the past few hours and the countless new ideas swirling in his mind.

It seemed his gains from the last few hours of observation, at least regarding the Essence Qi Powder formula, were truly immense.

Thanks to the solid foundation of knowledge he’d built over months of arduous study, every time he put theory into practice, he had plenty of room to maneuver. Whether it was a doubt or a problem, he could even come up with a solution rather quickly.

Just like now—a few hours of observation had filled his head with ideas. He didn’t know if they were correct, but having ideas was far better than being completely clueless.

At the very least, it proved there was still significant room for improvement with the Essence Qi Powder.

The day he found himself completely clueless would be the day his foundational knowledge was no longer sufficient to support his research into the Essence Qi Powder. That would be a true bottleneck.

Chu Mu rubbed his forehead and let out a long breath. His head throbbed from the hours of intense concentration, a clear sign of mental exhaustion.

Chu Mu looked up toward Mingxin Hall in the distance. A flicker of emotion disturbed the usual calm in his eyes.

After gazing for a moment, Chu Mu slowly looked away and turned to Xu Yuan and the Inspectors following him. "It’s getting late. Go get something to eat. We’ll meet back here at a quarter to three."

At his words, the Inspectors acknowledged the order and quickly dispersed.

"Brother Mu, you seem kind of distracted today."

Xu Yuan couldn’t help but ask once the other Inspectors had departed.

Chu Mu was about to answer when a thought seemed to strike him. The look he gave Xu Yuan turned a bit strange.

That look from Chu Mu clearly unnerved Xu Yuan. "Brother Mu, what is it?" he asked quickly.

Chu Mu didn’t answer, asking instead, "Are you busy tonight?"

"Tonight?" Xu Yuan replied. "No, I’m free. You know that, Brother Mu. I spend all my spare time at home practicing martial arts..."

Chu Mu nodded. "Good," he said, his tone full of meaning. "Come to my place tonight. I need your help with something."

Xu Yuan asked, confused, "What is it? Why all the mystery?"

"You’ll find out when you get there..."

Chu Mu just smiled, refusing to spoil the surprise.

"Alright, you should go eat. I’m heading home; I have something to take care of."

"As for the afternoon patrol, if I’m not here, you take the lead. If anything comes up, notify me immediately."

Xu Yuan gave Chu Mu a look of exasperation. "So, Brother Mu... you’re definitely not coming this afternoon, are you..."

"Hahaha..."

Chu Mu let out a hearty laugh. "You know me too well, kid!"

"Just don’t go off into the mountains, Brother Mu," Xu Yuan warned. "Things are strict right now. They might do a surprise roll call, and then we won’t be able to find you..."

"Don’t worry, I’ll just be at home. If you need me, you can find me there."

Chu Mu paid it no mind. Among all the team leaders at the Inspection Office, he considered himself one of the more dutiful ones.

After all, he had at least fulfilled his duty by patrolling in person all morning. He knew plenty of other team leaders and Squad Leaders who spent their shifts gallivanting around restaurants, casinos, and places like Fengyue Tower.

"Right, I’m off. Talk later if something comes up!"

Chu Mu waved a hand and left without another word, heading straight home.

A morning spent observing the potion’s effects, a mind buzzing with ideas and inspiration, and especially the breakthrough with his Essence Qi Powder—all of it had left him buzzing with impatience.

Back home, Chu Mu didn’t even bother to close the courtyard gate before bolting into his bedroom.

Three liang of Yellow Essence as the primary herb; one liang and three qian of Ginseng, five qian of Zhengyang Grass, five qian of Yin Ning Ginseng, and three li of Longevity Turtle Powder as the secondary herbs...

The new formula for the Essence Qi Powder flowed through his mind. Gripping the Centimeter Scale, Chu Mu carefully measured out the ingredients for the thirteenth revision of his recipe, weighing every last qian and li.

Soon, flames were roaring and a thick medicinal aroma filled the air. He downed another bowl of the concoction.

Moments later, Chu Mu vomited the liquid out and frowned in thought. The Centimeter Scale was back in his hand as he once again began sorting and combining the herbs, measuring out each qian and li.

The scene in the room fell into a familiar rhythm.

A busy figure, at times absorbed in his work, at others lost in deep thought, shuttled between the medicine cabinet, the desk, and the alchemy furnace. Again and again, it was as if he had fallen back into last night’s endless cycle.

The months of hard-won theoretical knowledge, now combined with practical application, manifested on the Light Curtain Panel as another meteoric rise in his Essence Qi Powder Skill Level!

Deep in the dialectic between theory and practice, Chu Mu had no time to pay attention to the changes on his Light Curtain Panel. Sinking deeper with each attempt, he began to take on the frenzied obsession of a mad researcher.

"’Wrong. That’s not right. Where’s the problem? Let’s try this...’"

Strange mutterings echoed through the room from time to time. Chu Mu’s expression was mercurial—one moment ecstatic, the next crestfallen. This chaotic dance of emotions made him look as if he were seriously ill...

An unknowing observer would surely be frightened by the sight...

And as it happened, someone was being frightened by this very sight. In the courtyard, a young widow, who had arrived looking apprehensive, peeked into the room. Seeing Chu Mu’s possessed state, her face filled with terror...